Zach Eflin made a strong first impression with his new team by taking a shutout into the fifth inning as the Baltimore Orioles beat the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 11-5 in the opener of a doubleheader Monday.
Anthony Santander hit a two-run home run, Ryan Mountcastle had a solo shot to go with a run-scoring single, Jordan Westburg collected three doubles and drove in two runs and Ramon Urias also was credited with a pair of RBIs.
Eflin (6-7) was acquired last week in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. He received plenty of offensive support and didn’t allow a run until rookie Addison Barger’s first career home run — a three-run blast in the fifth inning. Barger was in the game because now-former Toronto infielder Justin Turner was traded to Seattle during the game.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 20th homer later for Toronto.
Eflin gave up a single to George Springer in the first at-bat of the game and also yielded a two-out single to Turner. But he was unscathed, aided by a pair of strikeouts in the first frame.
He ended up going six innings, surrendering 10 hits to go with seven strikeouts without a walk. Ajejandro Kirk had three of the nine singles off Eflin.
The Blue Jays, who were coming off a home series sweep of the Texas Rangers, stranded six runners across the first four innings. Both teams finished with 13 hits.
Blue Jays starter Yariel Rodriguez (1-4) didn’t make it out of the first inning, issuing four walks and giving up one hit. Three of the four runs he allowed were earned.
The Orioles scored four runs in the first inning, beginning with Mountcastle’s bases-loaded single. Westburg had a run-scoring groundout, Urias walked with the bases loaded and James McCann was hit by a pitch after him to make it 4-0.
Westburg doubled and scored on Urias’ third-inning groundout to push the lead to 5-0. Ryan O’Hearn’s sacrifice fly and Westburg’s double extended the lead to 7-0 in the fourth.
Barger’s homer came in his 67th official at-bat.
Santander cranked out his 30th homer of the year in the fifth.
–Field Level Media
